


The Year Chip Rapist

by CherryFlavoredSpades



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Drug Use, Hurt Spencer Reid, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Past Drug Use, Rape, Spencer Reid Whump, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryFlavoredSpades/pseuds/CherryFlavoredSpades
Summary: The team at the BAU has to find a serial killer/rapist- all without the help of Reid due to his week-long vacation. But little do they know that Reid is the Unsub's next target.The Unsub has left seemingly no clues or hints, causing the team to panic. Will the team be able to find them before it's too late?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 135
Collections: Stories set in the Criminal Minds universe





	1. Coffee Break in the Case

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I'll be real here; I'm not sure where in the timeline this is because I'm not sure which season Henry was born, so to me, he doesn't exist yet, even if he technically would be by now. The team currently consist of Hotch, Reid, Morgan, Emily, JJ, and Gideon. These chapters will probably be very short.
> 
> Any and all names used for victims and unsubs are fake and were either made up on the spot or from a name generator.
> 
> I own nothing.

Aaron Hotchner walked into the BAU building like he always did. He drank his coffee like he always did. He watched his subordinates in the bullpen like he always did before he walked into his office like he always did. Nothing he did was different, but it still felt wrong. It was all simply because Supervisory Special Agent Doctor Spencer Reid wasn't there. 

They had just gotten through a very tough case, which had taken three weeks straight to solve. Hotch admitted that they most likely wouldn't have solved such a complex case if Reid hadn't looked through loops within loops of books and other forms of literature that almost had nothing to do with each other. Hotch knew Spencer deserved it, so he gave him the next week off. It was the least he could do.

The office wasn't as busy as it usually was. Derek was trying to talk to Emily, but she didn't really respond to any of his awkward attempts at conversation. Penelope sat quietly at her desk as she did her job. Gideon was sitting in his office. As Hotch continued to observe them from his office window, he received a quick ping from his computer. He stood as he quickly tried to make his way to the bullpen, just as JJ entered to inform the others the same news he just received, "We have a case."

\- With Spencer -

Spencer went to his favorite coffee shop and ordered his drink. He smiled as it was completed, and he got to take a sip of the beautifully sugary drink. He decided that it was a nice day, so he sat outside on a patio area underneath a cool umbrella. He enjoyed his first day off, completely unaware of the camera shutters following his every move.


	2. Subs and Unsubs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is briefed on cases and the Unsub.

Everyone quickly gathered in the conference room. They took their usual seats, everyone glancing at Spencer's empty seat at least once. They waited impatiently as JJ started the presentation, "There have been a string of murders right here in Virginia. The murders seem clean with no other fingerprints other than the victims," she pulled down the projector screen, "Garcia."

Penelope pulled up the pictures from her laptop as she projected them onto the screen, "We have six victims in total, one each week on a Friday. First victim, Jeremy Johnson, 45, father of 3, lived with his girlfriend, worked at a furniture store, was raped and then hanged. 

Second victim, Sylvester Witherspoon, 67, father of 2, grandfather of 4, retired, raped and a gunshot to the head. 

Third victim, Dennis Xu, 27, single college student, no job, raped and had a knife through his heart. 

Fourth victim, Adam Webbings, 32, recent husband, one child on the way, worked in real estate, raped and died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in his car. 

Fifth victim, Steven Millings, 37, single, worked as a clerk at a local grocery store, raped and had his throat slit. 

And the newest victim from earlier today, Patrick Archer, 26, another college student, worked part-time at a local fast food joint, raped and found in a bathtub with his wrist slit."

Prentiss asked, "If they were raped, why couldn't we use the DNA analysis to nail this guy?"

JJ shook her head, "There was no DNA left behind. The Unsub most likely wore a condom. No hair or skin was left either. The only reason we know they were raped was due to the anal tearing and blood loss from said area."

Hotch nodded as he went over them again, "All of them look like suicides."

Morgan nodded, "Could be the stressor. Maybe someone they knew committed suicide."

Gideon nodded, "The question is 'why?'. None of the victims were related. Yes, they were all male, but that's it. No jobs, no family, nothing about them is the same."

Prentiss asked, "Maybe they're blitz attacks?"

Gideon shook his head, "No. They were all planned well. Condoms, no skin, no hair, no blood. These had to have been chosen for a reason."

Hotch nodded, "Alright. We have a lot of ground to cover. Prentiss and Morgan will check out the lastest attack scene. After that, they will interview the Johnson, Witherspoon, and Xu families. JJ, Gideon, and I will interview the Webbings, Millings, and Archer families. Garcia, you'll stay here and try to find anything they have in common." 

They scrambled to their new positions.

They missed Reid.

-With Spencer-

He had just left a local deli, that had recently opened, with a sub sandwich.

Someone was following him, taking more pictures as he walked.


	3. Know Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team looks at the crime scene and interviews the families of the past victims.

Emily and Derek finally arrived. It was a small home in a suburban neighborhood. Police cars and tape surrounded the home. They put on their white forensic gloves as they stepped under the tape. The police chief, a very tall and dark man, walked up to them, "I'm Chief Wenstin. You must be the FBI agents I was told about."

Derek nodded as he and Emily got their badges out, "I'm Agent Morgan. This is Agent Prentiss. We were called about a series of murders."

Chief Wenstin nodded, "Follow me."

They walked into the room. Police were scattered throughout the building looking at every knack and cranny. They followed the police chief as he led the way, "One of the roommates found him."

They entered a room that reeked with the stench of blood. It was the bathroom. The white tiles were now stained red, and the matching bathtub was full of dark crimson water. Chief Wenstin nodded, "Yup, slit wrist in a tub of warm water. It seemed like a clean and cut suicide case, but the coroner said otherwise."

Morgan and Prentiss looked around at the mess, but couldn't find anything suspicious. They started to leave when Prentiss stopped and checked the door, "No forced entry."

Morgan nodded, "And none of the windows were open. Maybe the unsub knew them."

They got back in their SUV and headed towards the first victim, Jeremy Johnson's, home.

Meanwhile with Hotch, JJ, and Gideon, they knocked on a door to a home in a suburban neighborhood. A short dark-skinned pregnant woman answered the door, "Can I help you?"

They all flashed their credentials. Hotch spoke, "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner. I'm with the FBI. Are you Adam Webbings's wife?"

She nodded, "Yes. Would you like to come in?"

They nodded and followed her inside. She offered them a seat on her couch while she sat in an armchair. Gideon took a quick glance around, noticing the pictures of the family. One caught his eye, a happy black couple in front of a new home.

The woman nodded to them, "This is about Adam, isn't it? Please, just tell me what's going on."

JJ nodded, "Hello, Mrs. Webbings. I'm Agent Jareau. Ma'am, we're investigating a series of murders. We believe your husband was one of the victims. But you can help. We believe that we can understand the victims more, we can understand the killer more as well. Will you please help us?"

Tears streaked down the woman's face. She smiled, "I knew it wasn't suicide! I knew it," she nodded as she wiped away the tears with her hands, "Adam was a good man. He worked in real estate. On Fridays, he would normally go out to the bar with his friends. I usually go to visit my parents. They loved him. Pop would even go with him sometimes. So that Friday, I gathered my things, kissed him goodbye, and left. When I got back, he... he was sitting in his car with his head against the window. He didn't look too good, and the doors were locked. I knew he needed help, so I called 911, but when they opened the doors... Well, a young man went up to me, and you know what he said? He told me, 'Ma'am. I'm sorry, but he's dead.' Then a team of new people showed up saying that he had been decomposing for a while and they needed to take him instead. Later, I was told that he had poisoned himself."

Gideon asked, "Did Mr. Webbings have any enemies? A crazy ex perhaps?"

She shook her head, "Not that I know of. We met three years ago. He didn't really talk about anything before that."

JJ nodded, "Thank you. Is there anything else you want to add? Anything you can think of?"

The woman shook her head and absentmindedly rubbed her baby bump, "No."

JJ pulled out her business card, "Here is my card. Call me if anything else comes to mind."

The woman nodded as the others got up and left. They headed to their next stop.

-With Derek and Emily-

They drove to their first interview. It was a run down home, but it was still a home. They walked to the door and knocked. A little tan Hispanic girl with long black hair opened the door. She yelled back, "Mama. The police are here."

A woman who looked just like an older version of her daughter came to the door. She half-closed it as she said, "What do you want? We haven't done anything wrong."

Prentiss nodded and got out her badge, "I'm Agent Prentiss and this is Agent Morgan. We're with the FBI. Is this the home of Jeremy Johnson?"

She nodded, "I am- was his girlfriend. I'm Ana. What do you know about Jeremy?"

Prentiss said, "We believe that your boyfriend was the first victim in a series of murders. We would like to ask you some questions about him."

Ana seemed overjoyed at the thought, "Yes! Please come in. Please help me avenge my Jeremy."

They entered the house. There wasn't much, but there were colorful clothes on the walls that seemed to help bring out the warmth so that it was not just a house but actually a   
home. The little girl from before was holding a little boy's hand. Ana told them something in Spanish, which Emily translated to Morgan as "Go to your room and take your brothers." Ana came back, "Please tell me. What happened to my Jeremy?"

Morgan started, "Ma'am, we believe that your boyfriend was murdered. There have been five more men after him that have been killed in the same way."

She shook her head, "In what way? Were they hung too?"

He responded, "No, but they were all staged to look like a suicide."

She huffed, "Well Mister Agent, then how do you know? Why do you dare get my hopes up?"

Prentiss took over, "You were never told, were you?"

Ana looked over at her, "Tell me what?"

Prentiss tried to give her, her best empathetic look, "Your boyfriend- well- when the doctors took his body, they found something. Before he was killed, he was raped. The same thing has happened to the others. That's why we know."

Ana covered her mouth as she started crying, a few swears slipping in every once in a while. They let her cry a little before she took a deep breath. She looked up at them, "What can I do to help?"

Emily placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "You can tell us about him. If he has anything in common with the others, we can find a pattern, and that will tell us more about the killer."

She nodded, "Jeremy was a good man. Nana never liked him, but he helped us. He worked at a furniture store where he made dressers. He fathered all three of our children. We were talking about marriage before he was taken."

Morgan asked, "Did he have any places he liked to go or things to do?"

She nodded, "Every Friday after work, he'd like to buy some flowers for me and our daughter."

Prentiss asked, "Did he ever know a man named Sylvester Witherspoon or Dennis Xu?"

She shook her head, "No. Not that I know of."

Prentiss pulled out her card, "We're done with questioning for now. Please call if you want to tell us anything else. And thank you."

Ana took the card, "No. Thank you. Please find whoever did this."

They all nodded as the two agents left.

\- Back at the BAU-

The team -except Reid of course- was gathered again in the conference room. Hotch announced that Morgan should go first. He said, "The crime scene was strange. It was a nice neighborhood. Nothing was out of place. Prentiss noticed that there was no forced entry. The door was fine and the windows were closed."

Emily took over, "We interviewed the others. They have nothing in common. Some were rich, some were poor, some married, some single. Not even races were the same. The only thing that was consistent was how people remembered them. 'A good man who people loved'."

Gideon nodded, "The Unsub could be going after the well-liked."

Hotch nodded, "We found similar results. Either way, we have nothing of use."

JJ mentioned, "Let's try to make a profile."

Morgan shook his head, "With what JJ? We know nothing. All we have is a killing pattern. Rape some guy, kill him, make it look like suicide, repeat every Friday."

Gideon shook his head, "I'm disappointed by you all. It's a sexual crime; that's useful. It's a very specific ritual. That's useful. Every Friday. That's useful."

Hotch nodded, "We have a homosexual man who has recently lost a loved one, most likely due to suicide. They most likely had gone to dates every Friday, which would make the day seem special. That's more than enough. JJ, get this to the press and call the local police department for a briefing. Now we just have to pinpoint who this guy is."

JJ nodded as she rushed out. They finally had a lead.

\- Meanwhile with Spencer -

He sat in a gray shirt and gray plaid pajama pants as he sat on his couch watching a documentary on the tundra. He sighed happily, taking in the warmth from his coffee mug. He thought to himself, 'This is the life. I should do this more often.'

Little did he notice the frustrated grunt of someone just outside his window, becoming even more angry as his camera's film decided to jam at such a cute and happy moment.


	4. Drugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team tries to finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. Meanwhile Spencer is being stalked.

JJ made the announcement to the press, cool and composed as she always did. The others made their own files and edited them to see if there was something they could add. Except for Hotch. He walked into the bullpen, "You all keep working. I'm going to the coroner's to see if they left something out of the autopsy reports."

They all nodded, not giving his statement a second thought. Hotch left the building and got into his SUV. It didn't take long for him to find the city morgue. He thought to himself, 'Strange. I've been to an abundance of places and their morgues, but I have never been to the one in my own city.'

He walked in to find a gray stone building. There were plastic chairs lining the wall by the door. Two large doors were on both sides of the room. In the center-front of the room was a metal reception desk with a bored young greasy man sitting at it with his head resting on his hand. Hotch walked up to him, "Excuse me."

The pretty-much-teen looked up and straightened himself, "Oh! Can I help you?"

Hotch nodded and pulled out his badge, "I'm FBI Special Agent Hotchner. I need to speak to Dr. Sommers."

He nodded, "Sure thing. Let me see if she's available."

He held the button on what Hotch assumed was an intercom and said, "Dr. Sommers. Someone is here to see you."

He let go of the button. A female voice came back to him, "I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded back at Hotch, "Please wait until she gets here."

Hotch turned and sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs. He thought idly, 'They're just like the ones from grade school. I feel sorry for anyone that has to sit here for a while.'

The door on the right opened to reveal a woman with long red hair tied up in a pony-tail, blue scrubs, and white gloves. She approached him. Hotch stood and approached her, "Are you Dr. Sommers?"

She nodded, "Yes. May I help you?"

He pulled out his badge again, "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI. I would like to discuss with you the details of a recent case. I have been told that you were the ones that examined the bodies."

Dr. Sommers put on a serious face and nodded, "Follow me."

The kid behind the desk looked stunned, but really, what had he expected when an FBI walked into the door? Hotch ignored him and followed Sommers through the large door she had entered from. They stopped shortly as they approached a rack and table with scrubs, gloves, and hairnets. She told him, "Put these on. Are you here to see Mr. Archer?"

Hotch nodded as he pulled on the gloves and the scrubs over his suit. Somners gestured for him to follow. She led him down more corridors until they entered the autopsy room. Patrick Archer laid naked on the table, a white sheet covering his privates. Dr. Sommers announced as she picked up his stiff arms, "Seemed plain and simple to me. Death from blood loss. He cut his wrist steadily, which most likely means it was done quickly," she grabbed his upper arm with one hand and his wrist on the other, "Here we can see the puncture wounds of the needle."

Hotch furrowed his brows, "Needle?"

She nodded, "He was high on hydromorphone when he died- better known by its brand name Dilaudid."

"Were the other victims also high?"

She was taken aback, "Victims?"

Hotch nodded, "We believe Archer is the sixth victim in our case. You also examined Jeremy Johnson, Slyvester Witherspoon, Dennis Xu, Adam Webbings, and Steven Millings, yes?"

She nodded.

He asked again, "Were they all on drugs."

She nodded slowly, "Yes. All with the same thing. They also all had anal contusions and tearing. Agent, what's going on?"

He said, "We believe there is a serial rapist currently going after men. Please do not panic. We have everything under control."

She responded quietly, "Is that all you need, sir?"

He nodded. They went back to the scrubs area and Hotch threw away the things he was wearing. Sommers had him wash his hands in a nearby sink. Hotch was ready to leave when he turned to her, "Please do not cause panic. I am sorry we neglected to inform you of the importance of this visit."

Sommers agreed, "I understand. No need to waste your time here. Go find their killer."

Hotch left without saying another word.

He made it back to the bullpen, "Conference room in 5."

The rest of the team followed soon after. After they sat in their seats, Hotch announced, "The coroner told me some important information," he slammed a piece of paper down on the table with the words "hydromorphone" and "Dilaudid" written on it, "Every single one of our victims were on this drug when they died."

Morgan nodded, "So our Unsub is a druggie."

Prentiss added, "A very specific drug too. That narrows it down by a lot."

Hotch pulled his phone out of his suit pocket and flipped it open, quickly pressing the speed dial options, "Garcia, I need you to check if any of our men had a history of drugs."

She nodded from her side of the phone, "You got it, Hot Stuff."

Hotch shook his head, "And don't call me that."

Gideon mentioned, "This is going to help us a lot. Today's Tuesday. We have three days to nail this guy before he strikes again."

They continued their discussion on the possibilities of the unsub, sharing their ideas and theories with each other.

-Meanwhile with Spencer-

He pulled the chain of the small lamp he kept in his room. It was dim, so he could still sleep while still having light. He shook his head, attempting to clear the feeling he's had all week- the feeling of someone watching him. He ignored it as he went to bed, but little did he notice his front door's lock being picked.


	5. The Unsub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team rushes to save Reid from Gacy.

It was Thursday night, and not much had happened. The case was running cold. No new developments had happened. Only one of the men had a criminal record for drugs, and it was opioids- not hydromorphone. They didn't have much time left.

In other news, Reid ordered a microscope and had to go to the hardware store to buy a box-cutter for the first time, so that was pretty interesting.  
At the BAU, everyone was exhausted. Morgan sighed as he ran his hand down his face. He thought to himself, 'We can't quit now. We only have a few hours left. We probably would have already gotten this guy if we had Reid.'

He snapped out of his thoughts when a hot cup of coffee made its way to his desk. He looked up to see Emily with her own cup. She said one sentence, "We'll catch them."

He wasn't sure if she was trying to tell him or herself. He took a sip of his coffee, "We've done our job, right? We made a profile and we told the press."

She nodded, "Technically, yeah, we have. But we usually also get to catch the bad guy ourselves."

JJ walked near them, "Hey, have any of you seen Garcia? I haven't seen her in a while."

Morgan shook his head, "I think she's still in her lair. She's gonna work herself to death trying to find any connection. I should probably go get her."

Just as he stood from his chair, who other than the Tech Goddess herself, Penelope Garcia, practically ran into the bullpen, "I got something! Conference room. Now!"

JJ ran to tell Hotch, who would inform Gideon. Everyone was in their seats in less than 2 minutes. Garcia rushed in frantically saying as she connected her laptop to the screen, "I found a connection. The drugs weren't just a choice of the Unsub; I KNEW it wasn't. It took a while, but I found a Narcotics Anonymous group which kept records of their members for quote 'in case someone needs proof that they are going there'. I'm guessing it's for the spouses or something. Well get this: all of our victims were part of this one group."

Morgan smiled, "You know I love you Baby Girl."

"And you'll love me even more, my Chocolate Thunder. I found a pattern. Johnson just got his 7-year chip, Witherspoon just got his 6-year chip, Xu just got his 5-year chip, Webbings just got his 4th. I think you see where this is going."

Hotch nodded, "They're going to kill someone who recently had gotten their one year chip tonight or early tomorrow."

Gideon asked, "Is there anyone they might have all known, been friends with? A sponsor perhaps."

Garcia nodded, "Yup. All had the same sponsor: a mister Paul Gacy." He pulled up his picture on the screen, a tall muscular white man with short brown shaved hair. She continued, "And -get this- he had gotten his 8-year chip two months ago."

Gideon added, "So the Unsub had earned his 8-year chip, and then started down the line."

Hotchner asked, "What can you tell us about this Paul Gacy?"

Garcia nodded after she typed, "He just got his eight-year chip from heroin. He had a boyfriend named Earl Powell who committed suicide three months ago, right after he had gotten his one year chip for Dilaudid."

Morgan responded, "That's the stressor."

Gideon added, "And it explains his behavior."

Hotch said, "We need to go now."

Garcia nodded, "215 Meadowmaid Drive."

They nodded and quickly stood. Hotch announced, "Let's go."

Gideon watched as the field agents left. He quietly sat back down in his seat, "Garcia, stay here. I'm not sure why, but I feel like we'll need you again soon."

She nodded at the older agent, not completely sure what he was talking about.

The others sped their way to the house in the black SUVs. Morgan glanced down at his watch and quietly cursed. It was 5:00 am. He wasn't 100% sure of the time period that had, but he knew it was now Friday, and the next killing would start soon. The cars skid to a halt. The team emptied them, followed by members of the SWAT team. Morgan and Hotch were first at the door. Morgan yelled, "FBI, open up!" before he kicked in the door.

They filed in and turned on their flashlights, as it was dark due to the lights being turned off. Emily and Hotch paired up while JJ and Morgan also paired with each other. They started filing through the house.

Living room. Spring-filled couch, tv, pictures of the couple, but no Unsub. "Clear!"

Bathroom. A bit moldy, but no Unsub. "Clear!"

Kitchen. Messy, but no Unsub. "Clear!"

Bedroom. Unmade bed, unopened condoms on a nightstand, half-full bottles of lube and lotion, but no unsub. "Clear."

Closets. Clothes. "Clear."

Upstairs. Dusty Attic. "Clear."

They regrouped. Morgan quickly called Garcia, "Hey Baby Girl, I need a favor. Can you figure out who the next victim is based on the pattern?"

She nodded on her side of the call, "Got it Sugar."

JJ turned to see something she hadn't noticed before: a crack in the wall. She walked over to it while Morgan was still on the call. She pushed on it, but it wouldn't budge. She looked closer until she noticed a keyhole, "Do you guys see any keys around here?"

They looked at her puzzlingly when a member of the SWAT said, "Oh here's one."

JJ looked over to them and saw a golden key. She took it and tested it on the lock. It clicked. She slid the wall open. JJ tried to enter it, but she stopped in the doorway, "Guys! You gotta see this!"

They soon followed in. It was a study. Classic bookshelves lined one wall, a computer desk was the main focus in the center of the adjacent wall; on the wall opposite of the computer were picture frames with dark green velvet on the backs. JJ took one look at the computer before she shuttered, seeing a bottle of lotion and used tissues in a small trash can. The others noticed too but didn't say anything. They looked at the picture frames instead.  
The first frame had selfies of Earl Powell, next to it a gold chip that read "One Year Sober" with something in Latin, but they weren't sure what it said. The next one had a silver coin that read "Eight Years Sober" It had a selfie of the Unsub, Paul Gacy. The next had pictures of a Hispanic man at a flower stand, which Morgan guessed was Jeremy Johnson, the same man walking down a street toward a furniture shop called "Big Boy Chairs". Seven pictures were taken, one for each day of the week. All the pictures were taken from a distance. The last picture was of Mr. Johnson as a corpse. A copper chip next to it read: "Seven Years Sober." Hotch stated the obvious, "He stalked them."

They continued down the line. They were all there. They finally got to the last one. The chip wasn't there yet, but it didn't take a genius to know that it was the one year chip. The pictures on the other hand... were awful. It was Reid. A picture of him enjoying his coffee at a café. A picture of him carrying a bag that had the logo of a new deli on it. A picture of him looking absolutely comfortable lounging on his couch. The rest were the most disturbing. They were aerial views. One was him chopping vegetables in his kitchen. The other was him reading a book on his couch, the picture slightly blurry as Spencer turned the page just as the picture was taken. The worst one was of his bathroom. He was taking a bubble bath, seemingly about to fall asleep.

As the Team stared unbelievably at the photos, Garcia finally spoke, still on the phone. She took a breath, "Spencer Reid. 25 years old. BAU. One year sober from Dilaudid. Why wasn't I ever told he had been using?"

Morgan shook his head, "None of us knew."

Hotch announced, "It doesn't matter now. We'll have to ask him when he's safe. Let's go."

They ran out to their cars and hurried to their friend's address. Morgan already knew where they were going, so they didn't need to look it up.

-With Spencer-

A knock on his door woke him up. He squinted his eyes as he tried to read his alarm. He sighed, "5:34?"

He wanted to go back to sleep, but the knocking continued. He sighed again as he crawled out of bed. He slipped on his glasses, deciding contacts were too much effort, and made his way to his door. He opened it, the small chain rattling as it kept his door locked. He opened it to a familiar face, "Paul? What're you doing here?"

The man, who towered over Spencer, said, "You know sponsors can show up whenever to check up on you."

Spencer nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. Would you like to come in?"

After Spencer unlocked the chain, Paul entered without a problem. Spencer headed toward his kitchen, "Want some coffee?"

Paul shook his head, "No thank you, but you're welcome to make some for yourself."

Spencer just shrugged and went to his coffee maker. Paul took the opportunity to pull out a vial and syringe. He quickly drew it, hiding it back in his pocket once more. Spencer turned toward him, waiting for his coffee to brew. Paul told him, "So Spencer. Have you been using recently?"

He shook his head and took a quick glance at his glass coffee table where his gold coin now sat. Paul looked at it. Oh how he wished he could take it now, but it would have to wait. He tried again, "I know you probably won't like this, but show me your arm. Let me see for myself."

Spencer just shrugged, knowing Paul was forward and thorough with his check. He rolled up his gray long sleeve to reveal old puncture wounds. He was very glad to see them all faded- none of them new. Paul used one hand and grabbed onto his bicep, too hard for Spencer's liking. He looked over his arm and said, "I'm so proud of you, Earl."

Spencer looked up, panicked, "What?"

Paul pulled out the syringe. Reid started to freak out. He didn't have any weapons on him. But he did have his fists. He tried to pull back as hard as he could while taking a swing with his other arm. He startled Gacy, causing him to drop the syringe when Reid's fist made contact with his face. Gacy became enraged, "You're going to regret that!"

The very large man tackled him to the ground, falling on and shattering the table. Reid must have hit his head on a metal bar because for a moment, if he didn't feel the pain in his head, you would have felt drugged. Gacy stood, the glass clinking off of him and onto the floor. He grabbed Reid's shoulders and lifted him in the air. He threw him on the kitchen floor. Reid gasped as the air was knocked out of him. Gacy threw himself down and pinned him at his wrist, "Stop moving!"

As much as Reid tried to free himself, he couldn't do anything more but bruise his arms. He watched helplessly as Gacy used one hand to hold both his arms back and begin stripping him of his shirt. Tears streamed down his face, 'What did I do to deserve this?'

-Back to Morgan-

Morgan sat in the passenger seat with Hotch driving. Morgan quickly got out his phone and punched in the numbers. It rang for a while before it picked up.

-With Reid-

A blackberry phone vibrated on an end table with the sounds of skin slapping skin as screams rang throughout the apartment. It moved slightly, and by the third ring, it had fallen off the small table onto a pile of broken glass where the glass coffee table once stood. The glass crunched but answered the call button.

-Back to Morgan again-

His eyes widened and his breath hitched as the distant screams made their way to the phone. Hotch, who could hear the screams, even though it wasn't on speaker, said, "Turn it off. We're almost there."

Morgan did as he was told. Their black SUVs raced into the apartment parking lot. They all jumped out of their cars, guns at the ready.

-Inside the Apartment-

Spencer could barely make out the sounds of feet racing against the metal stairs of his apartment complex. Paul Gacy turned him over and pulled his underwear back on him. Spencer couldn't move. He felt a fire-hot pain when he tried. All he could do was watch Gacy leave the room and come back with his box cutter. The other man knelt behind him and lifted Spencer to lean on his chest. His left hand was holding onto Spencer's shoulder, his other hand half holding the box cutter as his fingers stroked through his hair, "I'm very proud of you. I couldn't trust myself anymore, Earl. I practiced, used condoms, and everything. But not for you. I love you so much, Earl. I even shaved and moisturized, just how you like it. No hair. No dry flakey skin. Just perfect for you. I missed you, Earl. Now we can be together forever."

Just as Paul lifted the cutter to Spencer's neck, the door was kicked open by Morgan, "FBI!"

They all huddled in. Hotch and Morgan were in first, followed by Prentiss and JJ. A couple of SWAT members stood behind them. They kept their guns pointed at him. Hotch spoke, "Paul Gacy. You are to release him."

Paul shook his head, "No way. Earl and I- we're about to be happy together."

Reid seemed to panic as his foot lashed out at a small table nearby, knocking it over. Gacy trembled at the outburst.

Hotch looked at Reid with a look of disappointment in his eyes. He added, getting back to the matters at hand, "Mr. Earl Powell is dead. The man you're holding is Dr. Spencer Reid."

Paul aimed the box-cutter at Hotch, "No! You're lying!"

Hotch replied, "Reid. Tell him who you are."

Tears streamed down Reid's face as he croaked out, "I'm Doctor Spencer Reid. I work in BAU with the FBI. I plan out maps for possible dumpsites. You- You met me in a narcotics anonymous group. I joined because I'm addicted to D-Dilaudid. You're m-y sponsor."

Morgan blinked away his wet eyes as he heard his best friend choke out his words. JJ's grip became tighter on her gun.

Hotch nodded, "I'm only going to say this one more time. Let him go."

Gacy quickly looked between Reid and Hotch, sheer panic encasing his eyes. He screamed as he went to plunge, but a gunshot rang out. The man's head exploded, red dripping on the wall. They all turned to see smoke exit JJ's gun. Morgan yelled, "You could have killed Reid!"

She yelled back even louder, "I had to! He was gonna kill Spence! And if I wasn't going to do it, Spencer would."

Her gaze followed back to Reid. They glanced down to his trembling hand. His gun sat awkwardly in his palm, pointed to where Paul Gacy had just been. Hotch nodded, "It was on the table, wasn't it? You kicked it down on purpose."

Spencer nodded shamefully, "I knew you couldn't do anything while he had me, but I also knew that he wouldn't let go."

JJ kneeled down to him and slowly pried the corpse's fingers off of him. She leaned forward, and he put his head on her shoulder. She put down her gun, embraced him, and carded her fingers through his hair. He shook. She whispered to him, "It's okay Spence. You're safe."

The team's hearts all collectively broke as he sobbed. He wailed, finally releasing his terror. The SWAT team leader nodded, and they left. The team stayed behind, watching Spencer cry in JJ's shoulder. He gripped JJ tighter, "What am I supposed to do? It's so gross. It's still inside me," a broken man whispered, "I was still a virgin."

He cried deeper into her shoulder, as Hotch called for an ambulance. JJ squeezed, "Shhh. You don't need to do anything. Medical help is on the way."

He held her longer, using her as a lifeline. He looked up from her shoulder at the rest of the team. Reid tried to talk again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Morgan shook his head as he calmly said, "Don't be sorry Spencer. Just... Why? When?"

Spencer shook his head, "Tobias Hankel case. The camera wasn't recording everything, you know? Tobias just wanted to help me."

JJ continued to hug him, "He was addicted too. He made you addicted, didn't he?"

Reid nodded, "I didn't want it. But-" he sniffed as he attempted to chuckle, "Not many people can take no for an answer."

They didn't say anything. They didn't need to. It didn't take a profiler to be able to tell that he was hurting and trying to make up for it- like some sort of coping mechanism.  
The ambulance finally pulled up. Paramedics ran up the stairs to take Reid to the hospital. None of his team will ever forget the almost snot-like liquid that had pooled in the blood from where Spencer had been as the paramedics pulled him on his feet. They watched the ambulance leave, feeling unserved vengeance for their friend. 

They promised that they would protect him.  
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
"What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose; All that we loved deeply becomes part of us." -Helen Keller


End file.
